“Right!” Michelle agreed quickly.

“Everybody in Lake Eden knows that Rod has a strange sense of humor,” Andrea said. “Remember when he ran that awful picture of Bill right after he was elected sheriff?”

“The one that said Law Enforcement at Its Finest?” Hannah asked, unable to keep the grin off her face as she remembered the photo of her brother-in-law dressed in the bank robber outfit he’d worn when he took Tracey and her friends out to Trick or Treat for Halloween.

“Yes. Bill knew it was a joke. He even thought it was funny. And so did everybody else at the sheriff’s station.”

“That’s not the same thing!” Delores said, giving Andrea the look that all three girls had named Mother’s Death Ray. “You girls may think this is funny, but I’ll never be able to hold my head up in this town again!”

The sisters exchanged glances, but no one was about to argue the point. Despite the fact that she’d reached for another cookie, their mother was still in a terrible mood. The silence stretched on for several more seconds and finally Michelle spoke up.

“Where’s Lisa?” Michelle asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

“At Cyril’s garage,” Hannah told her. “Her car was supposed to be ready by seven and Herb dropped her off there on his way to work.”

Andrea glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. “It’s eight-thirty. I guess Cyril didn’t have it ready on time.”

“That’s not surprising.” Delores gave a little laugh. “The last time I took my car in for an oil change, it took two days. What’s wrong with Lisa’s car?”

Hannah’s spirits lifted considerably as her mother helped herself to a third cookie. “Her fuel pump went out. She was going to call if Cyril couldn’t have it ready to go by nine.”

As if on cue, the phone rang and Michelle got up to answer it. Hannah listened to Michelle’s end of the conversation for a beat and then she got up to retrieve her car keys.

“It’s not ready?” Andrea asked, as Michelle hung up the phone.

“Not yet. I’ll open the coffee shop if you want to drive out there, Hannah.”

“And I’ll help,” Andrea added. “I’m good at pouring coffee and talking to people.”

Delores nodded. “I’ll help too, but I’m going to stay out here in the kitchen so I don’t have to talk about Rod’s horrid article. I’ll fill the display jars and you girls can carry the cookies into the coffee shop.”

“Thanks for helping,” Hannah said sincerely. Her family had never failed to volunteer whenever she needed help. She glanced out the window and frowned slightly as she realized the sky was overcast. “I wonder if it’s going to . . .” Hannah stopped speaking abruptly as they all heard a crashing boom outside. A few seconds later, a blinding flash lit up the darkening sky.

“You’d better take an umbrella, dear,” Delores warned her. “I was listening to KCOW radio in the car on my way here and Rayne Phillips said that there was a sixty-percent chance of a summer storm this morning.”